Media Thursday: Nebraska Week

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana will head west to face Nebraska on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 3:30 p.m. EDT. The game will be televised on BTN.

Head coach Tom Allen met with the media on Thursday. Below is a partial transcript:

Opening Statement…
"We've had a very good week of preparation. Very focused group of guys and that's what it's going to take to go on the road and play a very talented Nebraska football team at their place. Excited for us to be able to wrap up our preparation here tomorrow morning and head to the airport."

On if the implications of Saturday's game have made their way down to the team…
"Well, we talk about I believe the right things. We had a really good talk today with our guys. It is about the focus that you have and blocking out the noise, and all the distractions that get into that at whatever point of the season that you're at and whatever you're experiencing. That's the mental toughness it takes to be an elite football team. That's what we want. We want to be a football team that's put in these positions and has these distractions to deal with. That's what we're focused on. To me, that is the key, it truly is. Our guys understand that this is the biggest game of the season because it's the next one. And that's how we've approached it."

On how they've practiced this week to deal with penalties…
"Certain ones are just technique. Sometimes they are just subjective things that you put yourself into position because of how you play, but I think technique focus is the biggest thing. But to me you just continue to play hard. The ones that you focus on with guys being on the line of scrimmage, those are inexcusable mistakes that you cannot have. With the crowd noise and all of the other things we are going to have, our focus has been on being able to communicate effectively, to get lined up right and not have any false starts, things like that. Those are the ones you have to eliminate."

On the importance of having more than one quarterback who can start at any moment…
"There's no question. If there is one thing that you can come out of this season so far with, it would be that. The importance of having two guys that you know, on any moment's notice, can go out there and run your offense. Three is obviously ideal to have that, because when one of them goes down, then that third guy becomes the next guy in. I think that's definitely what all the coaches across the country are looking for and that will not change. That's why you go out and you have to sign a quarterback in every class, pretty much. That's the goal, to be able to do that. I just think that developing those guys, getting them to buy in to what you are doing, staying with you and being part of your team and helping you win games. It's such an important position, which is why we work so hard to find guys there that can lead our football team. Once you get them, you have to teach them how to play the game and help protect them. It is part of it, it happens at all levels and it's just part of football."

On carrying momentum from last week's road win to this week…
"It creates confidence. You have a chance to go experience it, obviously it's going to be a completely different feel from a noise-level perspective. You're still on the road, you're still traveling, you're still doing all those things. At the end of the day, when it gets late in those games, it's just executing and making plays. There's no doubt that the crowd has an impact, mostly on those third downs when our offense is on the field, that's when it becomes probably the biggest variable. But as far as experiencing it and having a chance to have success on the road and find a way to win with all three phases playing a role in that is definitely huge for us moving forward."

Indiana University Athletics

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